


Green and Red

by Philomytha



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Book: Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-09
Updated: 2012-07-09
Packaged: 2017-11-09 12:43:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/455576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Philomytha/pseuds/Philomytha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aral's reaction to a change in Vorkosigan House.</p>
<p>Contains minor spoilers for <em>Captain Vorpatril's Alliance</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Green and Red

"Well," Aral said at last, when the tour was over and Ekaterin and Miles had dashed off on some baby-related errand, leaving them to sit down and wait for tea, "I did suggest she might redecorate." 

"You did." Cordelia wasn't showing any of her thoughts on her face, letting him talk himself out. He supposed that was fair enough. It was his problem, after all.

"And I didn't _say_ 'but don't redo my favourite sitting-room in green silk, please'."

"You didn't."

"We're probably going to have to sit in here all the time now." 

"Very probably. She put a lot of work into it."

"And it's not like I could explain."

At that, Cordelia was silent.

"And it's not the same room, after all." He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face.

"If you want to get out of it today by pleading exhaustion, I'll lie for you," Cordelia suggested. "You probably should go take a nap, anyway." 

Aral gave her a deep frown, which had approximately as much effect as twanging an elastic band at a granite wall. 

"The rest of it is beautiful," he tried after a moment. "That hallway... I almost didn't want to walk on it. She's got an amazing eye for shape and colour." 

"This sitting-room is beautiful too. From an objective standpoint." 

Aral made his way over to a cream sofa trimmed with green, and sat on it, gingerly, as if it might bite him. It was a dream of comfort, even for his aging back and hips. Damn. The green walls rose up around him, their borrowed memories of anguish and guilt swarming in his mind like angry wasps. Cordelia came and sat beside him, which helped a little. 

"You can go," she said gently. "It's all right. You don't have to dig it all up again." 

Retreat. It was tempting. But this was his house, this room was his room. Vorkosigans didn't retreat from their home ground. He glared at the green silk, then blinked. There was a mark on the wall near him, low down, a wobbly red line trailing off. He frowned at it, then understood. It was at toddler-level. Despite himself, he grinned. 

"I think my namesake is volunteering to redecorate," he said, pointing at it. 

"That was probably Helen, actually," Cordelia said, also looking at the scribble and smiling. "Ekaterin said red is her favourite colour right now."

"Ha. I know what she's getting for Winterfair, then."

"Aral! That's cheating!" But there was a twinkle in Cordelia's eye. 

"I'm allowed to cheat now," he said. "Miles can do the stern father bit. There's him and Ekaterin and two nannies and an entire household staff; they can see if they have any more luck stopping her drawing on the walls than we did with Miles. She's getting a big box of finger paints. With extra red." 

A commotion in the corridor heralded the arrival of the miscreant along with her parents and brother, and Aral managed a warm smile of welcome as they all tumbled in, creaking to his feet and moving to rescue a desperately wriggling Helen from her father, while Cordelia laid claim to the calmer Sasha. He gave Helen a kiss on her curly head and carried her over to the silk sofa for a prolonged tickling-and-swinging-in-the-air session. When she was thoroughly wound up and laughing with excitement, she rolled right off the sofa, landed on the green carpet with a bump and a chortle, pulled herself to her wobbly feet and beamed at him, a wide innocent smile that knew nothing of his old memories. 

"Gran'da!" she declaimed. 

"You," he said, bending down to kiss her again, "are my very favourite granddaughter."


End file.
